Can Airless Tyres Eliminate Caravan Fishtailing
A tyre blow-out on a caravan can be disastrous, even fatal in severe situations. A non-pneumatic wheel (NPT) has the obvious advantage of being resistant to the DREADED FLAT TYRE. Thus, there is promise of safety. A number of tyre manufacturers have been busy developing a tyre or complete wheel to capitalize on this benefit. The best-known NPT is dubbed the TWEEL®. The nomenclature of Michelin’s NPT is a joining of parts of the two words, Tire and Wheel. The TWEEL® has application to skid-steer loaders and commercial lawn mowers. Michelin encountered problems in the development of the TWEEL® for high speed use. One of these problems encountered by Michelin in the development of the Tweel may be a god-send for caravan wheels as they develop their new NPT for highway use. The design of the so-called UPTIS® is not just an improved version of the TWEEL® but a completely different operating philosophy. This paper considers the evolution of the NPT and considers how it might be beneficial in the caravan context. To illustrate, a fishtailing tale to tell gets told.